Like You'll Never See Me Again
by Harlii Qynn
Summary: Every day is a blessing, and tomorrow is never really guaranteed.
1. Chapter 1

Hello and thanks for clicking on this fic! It's based on a song with the same name by Alicia Keys. It's a very pretty song and the message is a strong one. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of it's characters. If I did .. people would be up to their necks in IchiRuki-ness!

Like You'll Never See Me Again.

Chapter One.

It had been one hell of a day for Ichigo Kurosaki and he couldn't't have been happier that it was ending. As usual he was waiting for Rukia in their usual spot. He Had not't been waiting long when she came out, but there was a strange aura about her. She was usually very excited after a day of school. Not to be going home either. She was excited about everything that she had learned. But not today. Today she seemed a bit sad. She greeted him with a smile he knew was fake, and they started on their walk home.

The trip was quiet and seemed to take a lot longer than usual. Every couple of minutes he would peek over at her and noticed how interested in the ground she had become. He didn't ask her about it. He would have poked fun at her, telling her she must be on her period or something, but he could sense something was truly wrong with her this time. They made it to his house in complete silence, and she didn't snap out of her funk once inside either.

She plopped down onto his bed, and right away pulled out one of her school books.

"You're gonna start your homework already?" He tossed his own bag into the corner of his room. "It's Friday, you've got all weekend to get that done!"

"Why not? There isn't that much, and once I get done I won't have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend. I like being able to enjoy my Sundays, rather than running around acting like a chicken with it's head cut off wondering where the weekend went, and how i'm going to get my assignments done." Her reply was more serious than he would have liked, so he let out a sigh of defeat, and retrieved his own bag. He tossed his Literature book onto his desk, and slid into the hardwood chair in front of it.

About an hour went by without a word, and Ichigo stared at his half written paper. The silence was killing him, and he couldn't't take it anymore. He had to start a conversation about _something_.

"So what's been eating you?" Why not nip the problem right in the butt?

"What are you talking about?" He rolled his eyes, then leaned back in his chair.

"You've been in this bitchy emo mood all day and it's starting to get to me. I can't say that I really like our arguments, but it's a whole hell of a lot better than this!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She looked back to her paper, ignoring the beet red shade sliding over his face.

"You know what the hell i'm talking about! Give me some credit dammit, we've known each other for almost two years. You've been up my ass pretty much since the day you got here! You don't think I would know you by now?" Once again her eyes lifted to meet with his, but this time she shut her text book. She calmly sat it aside, then slid off of the bed.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk." She headed toward the door, but Ichigo was closer and faster. He placed his arm in the doorway, not allowing her to leave.

"No, you're not! Not until you tell me what's up."

"Nothings up now let me through!" She tried pushing past his arm, but he was a lot stronger than she was. "You better let me through now!"

"No!" She pulled her leg back, and Ichigo jumped to avoid the attack on his shin she had given him on numerous occasions. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back into her original sitting position on his bed. But she wouldn't give up that easy. She fought him the entire way, until somehow he ended up on top of her straddling her body and holding her arms down against the bed.

"Ichigo, stop! This isn't funny! Why won't you just leave me alone!?"

"Because I remember the last time you were acting like this! You ran away and I ended up having to go all the way to Soul Society to save your ass!" When she looked into his eyes and saw that expression on his face, she couldn't't help but to stop her struggle. "The only time you act like this is when things are getting serious. You don't need to protect me, just let me know what's up so I can protect you."

His eyes were locked onto hers and for the moment he forgot that he was on top of her. That didn't last for long though. Before he knew what was going on, he received a hard blow to the jaw. All he saw as he fell back was a red blur, and it didn't take even a second for him to realize who it was.

"Son of a bitch!" He threw his hand over his mouth, knowing that he would definitely be getting a rather large bruise. "What the hell was that for?"

"You asshole! You were attacking Rukia! Do ya think I'm blind!?"

"I-I was not attacking her .." Although his jaw was a bright red, the blush on his cheeks was even brighter. "We were talking .."

"Yeah right!" The red head grabbed the girls tiny wrist and motioned for her to come with him. "Let's get you away from this pervert!" He was surprised when she pulled away from him.

"Renji! He wasn't attacking me! We really were talking." He eyed the two of them, bother of their faces redder than a tomato, and sighed.

"Whatever. But if he ever does, just let me know. I'll take care of him for you." With a loud smack to the head, he was on the floor, writhing in pain. "What the hell?"

"That's for you not thinking I could take care of myself." This time she stood on Ichigos bed, and made her way toward the open window. Once again, she was stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"Hold on. We weren't finished talking!" She gave him the same punishment she had just given Renji, and before she hopped out of the window, turned to look at him.

"I never wanted to have this conversation in the first place!" And with that she was gone, leaving her two closest friends in pain on the floor.

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So ends my first chapter. I hope you like it so far, and for the sucky ending I promise lots of IchiRuki action the next go around! If you liked it let me know, reviews give me that warm tingely feeling inside. Also, go ahead and flame me if you didn't like it. They don't hurt me, but they can be quite entertaining! Hope you come back for the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi again, and thanks so much to the people who reviewed! I know the fic has nothing really to do with the song yet, but don't worry .. it's coming! Anyways, here is the second chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Although Rukia had to admit it felt good to be away from the idiot twins, she wished she hadn't left the way she did. Now, she was wondering the streets of Karakura aimlessly, the cold, bitter wind having no mercy for her defensless cheeks or legs. She cursed Ichigo for being such a persistant, stubborn, jerk, and Renji for being just as pigheaded. It only took another moment for her to give into the weather, and headed back home to the Kurosaki clinic.

She couldn't wait to get out of the cold, but she was in no hurry to see Ichigo either. So she decided to compromise with herself and began to walk very slowly. She began to think of an answer to give Ichigo when she got home. She knew he wouldn't give in so easily, so she had to come up with something that would keep his curiosity at bay for the time being. That's when Inoue came into the picture.

"Rukia!" She heard one of the most cheerful, positive people she knew shreik as she darted across the street to stand infront of her. She leaned forward, her hands resting on her knees as she tried her best to catch her breath.

"H-Hello, Inoue .." She smiled, wrapping her arms across her chest, trying her best to hide her bodys violent shivering.

"Where are you off to? And with no coat! But it's so cold!"

"Well, I was actually just walking around. Ichigo and I got into it earlier, and I just had to get away for a while." Inoue giggled, wrapping her arms around Rukias.

"Well, come to my apartment then! We can have a girls night!" Rukia followed, overjoyed with the fact that she wouldn't have to deal with Ichigo or the cold. They weren't far from Inoues apartment, and she truly believed someone was looking out for her. When they got to her apartment, Inoue quickly started some water for tea.

"Thanks so much Inoue .. I almost gave in and went home .."

"Oh! It's no problem! We all know how Ichigo can be, so I can completely understand!" She smiled warmly, setting a cup of tea infront of Rukia who was still trembeling slightly.

"He can just be so stubborn .. and persistant."

"Very!" Inoue giggled, taking a small sip of her own tea. "That's one of the most amazing things about him. You should have seen bim before we went to the Soul Society .. all that training he did. And then when we actually got there .. well he was just amazing!" Rukia watched as Inoue spoke of the orange headed pain in her ass, and came to a realization. "No matter how badly he was beaten up, or how many steps back he seemed to take, he always bounced right back!" Her lips curled into a small smile. "He just wanted to save you so badly. We all did .." She realized that Inoue was in love with Ichigo.

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Renji jumped to his feet and darted to the window Rukia had just jumped out of, hoping to see the direction she had taken off in.

"Dammit, you idiot! You know just the worst time to show your ugly face!"

"It looked like the perfect time to me! You were attacking her!" Ichigo grapped the infuriating red head by the collar and shook him.

"She even said herself I wasn't attacking her! I would never hurt her!" He released Renji, then fell back onto his bed. He dreaded what he was about to say, but he just had to find out what was up with her. "You two are close, has she said anything to you about what might be bothering her?"

"Hell no, but I'm sure it's you!" Do you pull shit like that with her all the time?" He settled beside Ichigo on the bed, crossing his arms over his chest in a very protective manner.

"I told you already. Besides, I was defending myself against her. She might be little, but she's strong as hell." They sat in silence for a moment, then Ichigo looked toward the window. "I should probably go look for her, she wasn't wearing a coat and it's really cold out there."

"Or, maybe I should go look for her. It seems you've pissed her off enough for tonight."

"Whatever, she just needs some time to cool off. She wont be mad for too long." He grabbed her coat that had been slumped over the back of his chair. Renji quickly grabbed one of the sleeves, pulling it towards him.

"No, how about I go and look for her."

"I don't think so, I'm not finished talking to her yet!"

"Let go you bastard!"

"No, you!" Before they realized what they were doing, their ridiculous tug of war turned tragic, Rukias poor coat paying the price. They heard the loud rip, and both ended up with a sleeve in their hand.

"Holy Shit!" Renji yelled, throwing the piece of useless fabric to Ichigo. "Uh, Yeah, maybe it's best you go looking for her!" And with that, he was gone, leaving the teen alone with Rukias ruined coat.

"Dammit .."

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Don't you just love Ichigo and Renji in all their foolishness! Next chapter is when we get to the good stuff, so hang in there! 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. 

Ichigo, bundled up in his coat, scarf and hat, had been roaming the mall for what seemed like forever. It was a Friday night, so he expected it to be crowded, but this was ridiculous! He knew he must have looked like an idiot, looking through all the teen girls fashion magazines, but he knew the ridicule he faced was nothing compared to Rukias anger. He could imagine her sneaking out of the girls room and into his, crawling on top of him .. then stuffing her pillow over his face until all movement stopped.

He looked through the magazines carefully, but decided in the end he was just going to have to ask for help. He figured that if maybe he found her a nice replacement, she would end up not wanting to kill him, and forgive him for earlier. He felt a little part of himself die inside as he entered the most girly store he'd ever seen. The mannequins were completely decked out in the tightest shirts, shortest skirts, and boots with fur. He couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that the mannequins were a bit more shapely than Rukia herself.

He was pulled from his happy place with the sound of a very enthusiastic salesgirl.

"Hey there! Can I help you out with something today?" His eyes fell to her chest to look for a name tag, but darted away quickly when he met with clevage that would probably make Matsumoto blush.

"I-UH-Yeah actually!" He looked around the store nervously, hoping the girl didn't notice the blush now rushing over his cheeks. "I'm looking for something for a friends. I kinda stared a fight with her and now she's really pissed at me. I'm not sure exactly what-"

"Lingerie is back this way!" She practically shouted, before heading in the direction she had just pointed out to him.

"N-no! Nothing like that!" He felt the blush deepen and a few girls walking by shot him a few dirty looks. "I need a coat! I ripped it and now I need a new one! That's all!"

"Oh really? Had to have at her that bad huh?" She smiled, winked, then turned in another direction. "Outerwear is this way!"

With a loud groan, Ichigo followed. At that moment, he wished it were really possible to die of embarrassment.

* * *

Somehow, the girls ended up watching movies. Rukia tried to pay attention, but was still unable to keep her mind off of their conversation. She felt a bit of jealousy towards the girl, and wouldn't let herself admit to why. But the look on her face and everything the group had been through .. she couldn't deny the facts.

Inoue was definitely in love with Ichigo.

"Wasn't the movie good?" Rukia came back into the real world, and looked to the small screen.

"Well, it was strange."

"Strange?" Inoue tilted her head to the side, eying Rukia carefully.

"Well, yes. The girl had a perfectly good guy by her side the whole time! But she chooses to go with a guy who was originally ashamed to be with her? It's just not how I would have wanted it to end." She sighed, then sat back against the small couch. "Besides, that Ducky person was alot better looking .."

"But that's not what matters! Love is what matters, and she just didn't love him in that way." She smiled, and Rukia couldn't help but smile as well. She still was unable to get her mind off of the whole situation at hand. She was still trying to deny so hard the reason for her feelings towards Inoue at this moment. She refused to admit that she had anything more than platonic feelings for him. Her eyes caught sight of the clock, and she almost tumbled right off of the couch.

"I think I better get going! I didn't realize how late it was, and Yuzu really worries about me when I'm not around!" She stood, then hurried to the door. "Thanks alot for letting me stay over here and warm up. I really appreciate it!"

"It was no problem Rukia! It was lots of fun! You are welcome over here anytime!"

* * *

"Thanks so much and come again!" The girls yelled as Ichigo walked out of the store, ending what he hoped would be the most embarrassing thing he ever had to go through. He prayed to every god he could think of, that none of his friends caught him with the pink bag he currently had a death grip on. He could only imagine the rumors Keigo would pass around the school, or the things that snotty Ishida would say. He hurried out of the mall, and hoped to make it home before Rukia did. He could only imagine how pissed she would be when she found her precious coat in pieces, with no explanation as to why or how it happened.

He stood in front of his house a bit hesitantly, taking a deep breath and one more peek into the bag,

"Shit .. what if she doesn't like it?"

"Who are you talking to?" He almost jumped out of his skin hearing her voice. He turned, eyes mainly taking notice of her Rosy cheeks and nose. He hoped she wasn't still in the mood to fight him. He had a long, hard, girly night and he was in no mood to fight with her again. "And what's with that pink bag? If anyone from school saw you walking around with that, they would probably-" The door popped open, and Yuzu peeked out at them.

"You two missed dinner."

"It's okay, I grabbed something at the mall." Ichigo spoke quietly, hoping she didn't ask why he had gone in the first place.

"I had something to eat at Inoues." Ichigos eyes darted to her, and he looked her over in amazement. To say Inoues food was interesting or creative would be the understatement of the year.

"A-anyway, me and Rukia have something to talk about so .." He pushed pass his sister, his hand catching Rukias and pulling her along with him. She didn't fight him at the moment, but if he wanted to continue his interrogation, she would have no other choice. He closed his bedroom door after they were both inside, and pushed the bag against her chest. "Now, before you say anything, let me explain! Uh, well, first me and Renji got into this fight and accidentally ripped your coat, so, I went out to the mall and got you a new one! It's nothing like the old one, but the girl at the store told me that this is what girls are wearing now, so ..."

The look on her face told him that she hadn't caught a bit of his long winded, quick explanation, and he let out a sigh.

"Just look in the bag!" She did as she was told, and pulled the contents from the bag. Her eyes widened at the bright red pea coat, and her mouth dropped open.

"What's this for?"

"I already told you! Me and Renji ripped your coat, so I went out and got you a replacement!" She held the coat in her arms, and pulled it against her chest, her eyes filling with tears. He hadn't expected this kind of reaction from her. He assumed she would be pissed about her old coat, and for him being so careless and maybe yell at him again. Instead, she was clinging to it like it was her most prized possession.

"Ichigo, you didn't have to .."

"Yeah I did. It's my fault your other coat is ruined and I figured I owed you after today. I was kind of rough with you .."

"Oh, yeah .. about earlier ."

"Nah, don't worry about it. I will admit that I can be a pain in the ass sometimes." She smiled, unable to be annoyed or irritated with anything he had done earlier that day. She moved close to him, her arms wrapping around his slim waist. She lay her head to rest against his chest, and she did all she could not to cry.

"Thank you so much, Ichigo .." He was so nervous and didn't know what, if any, move he should be making, so he just returned her tight embrace.

"I'm glad you like it." When she looked up to him, that smile still on her face, he noticed a few tears sliding over her cheeks. For a moment he was still, very unsure of what he should do. His eyes roamed hers, and somewhere deep inside of him he found the courage to lean in close to her. His hands slid over her cheeks which were as cold as ice, and covered her lips with his own.

The kiss was innocent, but filled with more passion than any other kiss she had ever received. Her eyes slid closed, and for that moment in time she completely lost herself. Her true feelings and love for Ichigo completely over rided her rational mind.

The loud shrill of her soul communicator ripped them from their fantasy world and they parted.

"A hollow!" And with that, their bodies fell lifelessly to the floor, and the two shinigami darted out of the window.

This would probably be the only time Rukia thanked god for the hollows.

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Sorry for the interruption but I can't give you the whole thing so soon! The next few chapters are going to be good, I promise. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Feeling the warmth of the sun wash over her, Rukias violet eyes fluttered open. As she took in her familiar surroundings, she noticed the ache in her back. She had slept propped up against the side of Ichigos bed the night before, and now she was deeply regretting it. As she leaned forward to push herself off of the floor, she caught sight of her hands. They were covered in Ichigos dried blood.

"Idiot." The memories of last night came rushing back quickly. Ichigo had once again jumped into the path of a hollows attack that had been meant for her. She turned her head at the sound of his groans, her eyes assessing the damage that had been done.

"I'm not the idiot." One of his eyes popped open. "You were the one who wasn't paying attention." His voice was deep, cracking a bit.

"You're right. I was too busy yelling at you for being reckless." She tried suppressing her anger, but Ichigo never made that easy for her. He knew all the right buttons to press, and he would press them every chance he got.

"You don't need to worry about me so much. I can handle myself in a fight. Besides, that hollow was weak as shit."

"Yeah, well he managed to get a piece of you." She slid the blanket off of his shoulder, her tiny fingers carefully removing the bandage. She overlooked her handy work with a smile. "You are lucky you have me." Shock wasn't exactly a strong enough word to describe what she felt about his next action. His much larger hand slid over top of her own, and he squeezed it slightly.

"Yeah .. I guess so." A deep red blush crept over her cheeks, and she quickly pulled her hand away.

"Just .. be more careful next time. You might not get so lucky .." She stood up, once again looking over his dried blood currently on her fingers. "You don't always have to protect me. I can handle myself." Now, his eyes were both open and on her. When he sat up he felt a slight discomfort, but nothing he would really consider pain.

"If I hadn't taken that attack for you, who knows if you would even be alive right now!" Her hands slid to her hips, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, don't exaggerate! I would probably have been better off than you are right now!" Her hands were now clenched at her side in tight fists. "I'm tired of you always treating me like I'm weak or something! I've been a shinigami since before you were even a twinkle in your fathers eye!" Her narrowed eyes met with the boys and they stayed like that for a few minutes having the most intense staring contest of either of their lives. Ichigos were the first eyes to fall away, and he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Whatever." Her mouth fell open, and she didn't know what to think. Was he really admitting defeat so early in an argument? Her eyes softened slightly, and she realized what she had implied. Although he gave his all to saving and protecting the people he loved, he often needed help, or ended up teetering on the edge of death. No matter how many times he succeeded in protection one of his friends, he always focused on the failures.

"I'm sorry." He looked her way, a bit surprised with her apology. Her hands were folded in front of her, her eyes now staring at the floor.

"For?"

"No matter how idiotic it was for you to jump in front of that hollow, you did it because you didn't want to see me hurt." A strange silence fell between them. Rukias eyes wondered his room, while Ichigos remained on the small shinigami. Now it was his turn to feel bad. He noticed the dried blood on her hands, and thought of how she must have used alot of her energy healing him, then slept all night beside his bed. "I don't mean to be so bossy, but you are alive. You've got a life down here and people who need you. Don't be so reckless, especially when it comes to me. I don't have people all around who need me. I don't have two younger sisters .. or a chance at a great future."

"But I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." Their eyes met and his cheeks were red once again. "Especially if I could have done something to prevent it." Her eyes slid closed and her lips curved up into a small smile. His words brought a warmth to her heart that she hadn't felt in a very long time. So lost in thought, she was completely caught off guard when he slid from his bed and wrapped his arms around her in a tight, almost needy hug. Her own snaked around his waist, and she buried in head into his warm, bare chest. With all the excitement from the hollow, she had almost completely forgotten about the night before. She had almost forgotten about their kiss.

Now she couldn't help but think of how nice his lips felt against hers. How unexperienced he seemed, but at the same time how it was the most passionate kiss she'd ever experienced in her long life. Her heart was pounding now, wanting to feel that same feeling again, but knowing how wrong it was. Had they not been disturbed by the hollow, who knows how far it would have gone ..

"Ichigo .." She wanted to let go. She wanted to release all of the feelings she had been kept bottled up and go crazy on him, but she couldn't. "I've got to take a shower. I'm completely covered in your blood." As hard as it was to do, she pulled herself from his embrace, holding out her arms to show him.

"All that from this little scrape?" She rolled her eyes, forcing herself toward his bedroom door.

"It wasn't a little scrape last night." His finger tips grazed over the bandage, and he watched her leave.

"Rukia." She looked his way, her hand wrapped tightly around the door knob. "Thanks." Relief washed over her, and she couldn't help but smile once again.

"No problem." She shut the door behind her, a satisfied smile still gracing her lips.

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Apple Bottom Jeans .. Boots with the furr. Yeah, don't ask what that's about and don't ask where I've been. No, but seriously, I'm sorry it took so long for me to update! Don't hate me cause I love all of you! The holidays were hectic, EVERYONE wants to see my daughter and instead of making it easy on me and coming to her, I have to pack up and go to them! Jerks! Anywho, I hope you guys are happy with this chapter, and I promise to have the next one out soon. It will be much faster and much better (Fluff!). 


	5. Chapter 5

Hey everyone, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. My daughters getting older, on the verge of crawling, teething, talking. It's getting harder to get anytime to write or even get on the computer, so bare with me. One last thing before I go, the Super Bowl was amazing! Since the Eagles didn't make it I wasn't rooting for anyone. (Except Tom Brady!) Poor Patriots lol.

Rukia eyed her reflection in the mirror. Messy was not a strong enough word to describe her appearance. Her hair was sticking out in every direction, her eyes red and puffy from pure exhaustion, and she had to look twice, but sure enough there were bags under her eyes. With a groan, she lifted her hand to poke at the dark circles and was reminded of Ichigos dried blood on her hands. It brought back memories she wanted to forget, and she wasted no more time preparing for her shower. She turned the knobs and without waiting for the water to heat up shoved her hands into the steady flow of freezing cold water. She ignored the fact that her hands were quickly turning into ice cubes and washed away the dried blood, hoping that with it some of the guilt would go away. No such luck.

She decided to wait until the water was hot before she undressed and climbed into the shower. The warm water helped calm her and a bit of the tension and stress that had been building for the last week went away. She closed her eyes and moved her face under the stream. Now that the whole hollow attack was over, she wondered if Ichigo would want to talk about what had happened between them. She wanted to die at the thought.

"How could I have let myself get so carried away .. I can't believe how stupid I am!" She pushed her fingers through her hair. "Okay, i'm just gonna slip out before he even gets up. I'll go for a walk or something. Just completely avoid him." She tried convincing herself it would work, but the denial wouldn't fool her rational mind. What was she supposed to do? Avoid him forever? They lived together, went to school together, worked together and had the same group of friends. There would be no escaping him.

She rushed through the shower which she had hoped would be more calming, and quickly dressed. She hoped she would have been able to get ready and get out the door before he noticed, but she knew she would have to be quick. She opened the bathroom door hoping to make a clean break for the twins bedroom. Yeah right. That would have been too easy. Who else but Ichigo would be standing on the other side of the door. Her cheeks were red imagining him outside the bathroom, listening to her ramble on to herself about him and how stupid she was.

"Ichigo!"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you were in there." She resisted the urge to smack him in the face for almost giving her heart attack and shook her head.

"No, it's okay .. don't worry about it." Without even looking at him she began her walk to the room she shared with the girls. She had just placed her hand on the doorknob when he said her name. He'd said it so soft she almost missed it. "Yeah?" She looked over her shoulder to him, but he hadn't turned to look at her.

"N-never mind." He shook his head as she had before. "Nothing. Don't worry about it." And with that he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Her body had tensed out and with a sigh she was able to relax. Although she wasn't thrilled to talk about what had happened, she wondered what he had wanted to say. Hell, maybe he was just as mixed up about the whole situation as she was.

She threw herself on her bed, eyes wondering the many posters and pictures Yuzu and Karin had collected over the years. She would give anything to take her mind off of what had happened, but knew it wouldn't be that easy. The only way to rid herself of this irritated feeling would be to sit down and talk with him. But it wasn't as simple as that. She couldn't bring herself to bring it up.

"Maybe neither of us will say anything and we can just forget it ever happened." She rolled her eyes at the idiot conclusions her mind came to sometimes. She knew there would be no way of forgetting that kiss. It was one of the most passionate she'd ever had in her life. And it was given to her by a seventeen year old boy! A seventeen year old with the body of a..

"Oh god! I need to stop this now!" She covered her face with her hands, trying to push the dirty thoughts from her mind.

"Homework. That's what I need. Algebra and Literature should be enough to get my mind off of this." She sat up quickly, her eyes scanning the room for her school bag. "Dammit, I never grabbed it out of Ichigos room!" She slid off of the bed and hurried to Ichigos room. He couldn't be out of the shower already ..

She pushed his door open, definitely not expecting to find Ichigo finished up and getting dressed already. A pure white towel hung low on his waist, leaving his well defined upper body completely exposed to her wide eyes.

"Rukia!" His cheeks reddened as did hers and she turned her back to him.

"Ichigo! I'm sorry. I didn't think you would be out of the shower yet .." Her face was burning with embarrassment, and oh how she wished for a hollow to attack at that very moment. She probably should have left the room, but her legs wouldn't budge. She blamed it on the gigai and Urahara of course, but her train of thought was interrupted when Ichigo spoke.

"Rukia, what happened last night?" He wanted to have this conversation now!?!

"It was a mistake, and I never should have kissed you. It was extremely inappropriate of me. I'm sorry." She almost felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest. She didn't have to tell him the whole truth, did she?

"Yeah .. Whatever. It's alright. It's not like I tried to stop you or anything. It's not all your fault."

"No, it _was _my fault. I've been extremely irresponsible since I've been around you. I've been thinking, and I think it's about time for me to go back to the Soul Society. I've been getting in the way more than i've been helping anyway. You and everyone else will probably be better off without me around anyway." He said her name once again, but she ignored whatever question he was about to ask and rushed out of his bedroom.

Ichigo was left more confused than he'd ever been before, and Rukia felt like a complete idiot. The urge to get out of the house was stronger now than it had ever been, and she hurried for the front door.

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I'm going to try my best to update sooner. I won't make promises cause if I can't keep them I will feel bad. Just know that I wont give up on the story! Love you guys, and RIP to Heath Ledger. He was an amazing actor, and I can't believe he's gone. 


	6. Chapter 6

It's been super long since I've updated and I apologize to any fans of this story! I have a one year old now and it's hard to write, much less think when she's around. I'm going to try to get the next chapter up soon, be patient. I will try to make it worth it.

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After wondering aimlessly for an hour in the cold, Rukia found herself in the middle of the deserted park. There wasn't one child playing on the small jungle gym, and with a roll of her eyes stuffed her tiny hands in the pockets of her (Yuzus) jeans. She'd been kicking herself the whole time she was out, telling herself over and over again how much of an idiot she was for running out on Ichigo once again.

She couldn't help herself. Their relationship was getting incredibly complicated, and she knew it wasn't something she would be able to handle. There were so many thoughts running through her head, it seemed almost impossible to sort everything out. Although she would look like a spaz to Ichigo now, running was the right thing for her to do. It prevented her from making anymore mistakes than she already had.

She plopped down onto one of the many empty benches surrounding the play area and let out a long sigh.

"What the hell did I get myself into?" She pulled her legs to her chest, then leaned forward to rest her chin against her knees. "What on Earth posessed me to kiss him?! I'm such an idiot!" She didn't know exactly how long she was sitting there before she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

Her head popped up and she searched the area around her till she spotted her closest and oldest friend. It wasn't that she didn't absolutely love him, but right now he was definetly not someone she wanted to be talking to. In fact, there wasn't really anyone she wanted to talk to right now.

"Hey, Rukia! Is that you?" He began to jog towards her and she turned her head with a roll of the eyes. "What's up? How come you aren't answerin' me?"

"I'm not really in the mood to talk right now." He took a seat down beside her anyways, and she tried her best to avoid any eye contact. He was good at getting her to talk when she didn't want to.

"What's up? Is everything okay?" She didn't reply, and tried her best to scoot a few inches away from him. He scooted as well.

"I said I don't want to talk about it." They quieter she seemed to get the closer he got to her. "Come on. You can tell me what's up. Is Ichigo trying to put the moves on you or something?" He threw his head back and started to laugh at his absurd statement.

"Actually-"

"No shit? He is seriously? I was just kidding! I'm gonna have to go over there and kick his ass-"

"He didn't put the moves on me idiot! I put the moves on him!" She'd gotten the reaction she wanted. His eyes were wide, his jaw hanging open, and he was speechless. She would have preferred his nagging over the way he was acting though. He just stared, but she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"What are you thinking?" Another roll of her eyes.

"I wasn't thinking!"

"You sure as hell weren't. There is no way in the world this thing between the two of you could work! Come on now, think of what your brother would say!"

"You act like I haven't thought about all of that already." She pushed her fingers through her hair. and finally Renji noticed her lack of a coat. "I've been thinking about this for the last couple of days." He lowered his head and let out a sigh. He shrugged out of the old leather jacket he'd been given and placed it over her shoulders.

She turned her head to look at him, now feeling bad that she'd snapped at him.

"Sorry. I just, don't know what came over me. The first time I kissed him-"

"First? What do you mean first? It happened more than once?" Her eyes widened and her bottom lip poked out in a pout. She felt like such a fool talking to Renji this way.

"Nevermind, just forget it. I don't want to talk about it anymore." She stood up and crossed infront of him to walk away, but he reached out and took a hold of her wrist. He didn't look at her and she could tell he was hesitating to say whatever he had to say. "I don't need you to lecture me about this! I already know I made a huge mistake!" She tried pulling away from his hand, but his grip only tightened.

"Why him?" She stopped struggeling and looked back at him with wide eyes.

"What?" He was able to get up the nerve to look at her and cleared his throat before speaking again.

"I said, Why him?" She was completely dumbfounded by his response. What exactly did he mean by that? Why did he seem .. angry?

"Renji, I-"

"What's so special about him? I just don't get it." He pulled her against his chest, his hand letting go of her wrist only to slide up her arm, then her neck, then finally up to her face to cup her cheek. Her eyes slid shut as his thumb caressed her soft skin, so she was completely taken by surprise when his lips came crashing down on hers in a gentle kiss.

I know it's a short update, and I promise to try harder next time. Hope you guys all enjoyed it!

Oh, just had to comment on Projekt Revolution and Warped Tour. Both awesome. Linkin Park and Gym Class Heroes rocked my socks!

Love you guys, peace.


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